English Research

Alex
British
English Research MPhil/PhD, option of joint PhD with HKU/NUS/Humboldt
The vibrant research community at King’s was the main reason why I chose to continue studying here after my master’s. My project is archive-based and could have been quite solitary, so it’s great to have a wide choice of seminars and reading groups to attend where you can meet other people to share ideas and learn from their research. The opportunity to present to other students in the English department’s doctoral seminar has really helped me to refine the key ideas and goals of my project, while the department’s student-convened seminar series has introduced me to projects taking place across every time period and literary genre.

My own research project looks at life-writing by visual artists, focusing on British painter Keith Vaughan; having the Courtauld next door, the National Gallery only a short walk away, and all of London’s major galleries close by means that I can truly immerse myself in my chosen field. I am also co-managing the visual arts blog for Stet, the department’s online postgraduate journal, giving me further opportunities to develop and write about my love for art and meet like-minded students.

I chose my supervisors because of their expertise and their shared interest in the relationships between literature, identity, and visual culture. My supervisors have been invaluable, advising me on everything from my research methodology to relevant criticism and further reading. I received an alumni bursary from the Graduate School to help with the cost of my studies, so I look forward to contributing to the department next year by training to teach undergraduate classes.

I am confident that my research experience at King’s, along with the opportunities I have to present my work at seminars and conferences, will give me everything I need to continue my academic career beyond my doctorate.

Chris
English Research MPhil/PhD, option of joint PhD with HKU/NUS/Humboldt
I applied to study at King’s after seeing an advertisement for a PhD-Net co-ordinated by the College with the University of Stuttgart and the Sorbonne in Paris. This seemed a fantastic opportunity to be part of an international research community.

Being in London has also provided me with unparalleled access to archive collections and world-leading libraries. My research project focuses on an extensive collection for the modernist magazine ADAM International Review, housed within the King’s College Archives. Resources such as this make King’s an exciting place at which to undertake postgraduate research. It was whilst working in the archives, for instance, that I was fortunate enough to uncover previously unpublished short stories and aphorisms by the modernist writer Katherine Mansfield (read the news story here).

My research is funded by the Graduate School (King’s Continuation Scholarship) and the Leverhulme Trust (Study Abroad Studentship). Funding from King’s has enabled me to present papers at international conferences, establish a translation project with the French Department, and organise a Postgraduate Training Day at King’s with the British Association of Modernist Studies (BAMS). Such support helps to ensure that King’s continues to grow as a centre for excellence in modernist literary scholarship.

Niamh
Irish
English Research MPhil/PhD, option of joint PhD with HKU/NUS/Humboldt
I decided to come to King’s so that I could work with my preferred supervisor, and so that I could live and study in London. One happy though unexpected outcome of this decision has been the way in which a relatively narrow single-author study has now become opened up to various different avenues of analysis – a direct result, I feel, of both great supervision and the richness of the research culture in the English department.

We have an excellent community of doctoral students and London is full of opportunities for taking part in reading groups, conferences, and scholarly networks. The atmosphere is energetic and friendly, and the resources here – in particular the British Library – are especially good.

I am funded by a Continuity Scholarship, which has allowed me to focus exclusively on my doctoral dissertation, and I have also been able to avail of small scholarships from organisations like the British Association of Irish Studies to help pay for attendance at conferences and research trips.

I am glad I chose to take this career decision and feel that my research project and academic experiences are oriented towards future employment in the field; graduate students are able to undertake teacher training, to tutor undergraduate classes, to compile courses for the Summer School, and to take part in departmental events like The Abstract (our ‘work in progress’ program), skills lunches, skills training, graduate conferences, and reading groups. There is, I feel, a good balance between structure and creativity.

Philip
British
English Research MPhil/PhD, option of joint PhD with HKU/NUS/Humboldt
I originally came to King’s in 2009 for an inter-disciplinary MA in Eighteenth-Century Studies. I thought the course was dynamic and individual, especially given that it taught in conjunction with the British Museum. I decided to stay on at King’s for my PhD in the English department.

I didn’t realize it at the time, but King’s is the perfect place for my research, which looks at the intellectual legacy of Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Part of that legacy involves the important role played by Coleridge in the beginnings of English literature as a subject which was first taught at King’s in 1831, and pioneered by one of Coleridge’s disciples, F.D. Maurice.

As with all post-graduate research in the humanities, the course depends heavily on the efforts of the student. The department keeps quite a close eye on all of its researchers, and the relationship with your supervisors is a very important part of that. It is a sign of the department’s commitment to its researchers that it assigns them two supervisors: the primary is for specific academic guidance, the secondary for more general concerns surrounding research.

More generally, King’s location is one of its single greatest advantages: it is a privilege to work in the centre of London, and be near to so many cultural hotspots. I have received some financial assistance from the Graduate School: a King’s Alumni Bursary for all three years of PhD (which discounted the fees), and a King’s Continuation Scholarship for my final year (which provides an annual stipend). It was difficult having little money for most of the course, so I certainly felt a weight had been lifted off my mind when I received the KCS.

I have a few ambitions after I graduate. I am keeping the academic door open as an option, but I would also like to work in film. Having a PhD from King’s will add to my credibility as a scholar and also as an independent individual.

Sally
British
English Research MPhil/PhD, option of joint PhD with HKU/NUS/Humboldt
The postgraduate research community at King’s is very lively and supportive, offering a variety of workshops and a long list of people who support the students. As a PhD student, I’m working on a very specific project of my own design, focusing on photography of Shakespeare in performance. Although King’s has no photography or theatre studies departments, the English department is (perhaps resultantly) richly interdisciplinary, and also maintains strong links with certain London institutions who can support my work – the British Library, Globe Theatre, National Theatre and Victoria and Albert Museum, to name a few.

Doing a PhD can be isolating, but it doesn’t have to be, especially given that there are research seminars on every conceivable topic, as well as opportunities to discuss your work and that of your peers at the Graduate Research Seminar (for first year PhD students) and ‘The Abstract’ (for all English department students).

I took the MA in Early Modern Literature at King’s in 2010/11, so I had the opportunity to discuss the PhD with my supervisor during the application process, and he was incredibly helpful and supportive.

I was awarded funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council, which essentially allows me to put my studies first, rather than juggling them with paid work. I have also had the opportunity to supplement my studies with working for the educational outreach charity The Brilliant Club, and writing theatre reviews for the website OneStopArts.